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Shades Valley's Daron Payne wants to shed weight and has a new team on his recruiting radar

Shades Valley 5-star Daron Payne talks recruiting: May 8, 2014Shades Valley rising senior Daron Payne is the highest-rated prospect in the state of Alabama this fall. The five-star prospect weighed in on a new team that's come up on his radar, his weight, classic cars and his team's chances this year after his spring jamboree game against McAdory. (Jeff Sentell/jsentell@al.com)

The state's top-rated prospect for the Class of 2015 knew where his body was at after his final day of spring football. It was not where it needed to be.

Shades Valley's Daron Payne is shown before a spring jamboree football game in Irondale, Ala., Thursday, May 8, 2014. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)MARK ALMOND

"I'm out of shape," Payne said. "I need to drop at least 15 to 20 pounds."

Payne estimated his weight at 342 pounds. That's up considerably over his junior playing weight of 315 to 320 pounds last fall.

What's he been eating?

"Babies," he joked, citing he'd been eating too much of everything of late.

That's one reason for his weight gain. He'd also been throwing the shot put this spring for the first time for the track team. He finished third in Class 6A at the state meet with a heave that sailed 1.5 inches past the 54-foot mark.

"I didn't get to practice a lot because of track," he said.

He said Alabama continues to be the school that's recruiting him the hardest, but Auburn and Florida State are right there with them.

Payne felt the relationship he has with Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal is the best he has with a coach that's recruiting him. He said the two talk just about every day. The only trip he made to a spring game was to Tuscaloosa.

He talks a lot about classic cars with new Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis. Payne likes a 1996 Impala and said Davis also thought that was a sweet ride.

Kentucky is a new team on his recruiting radar. Payne mentioned he'd like to take a trip out to Texas this summer and also wanted to visit the Wildcats in Lexington.

"I really like the coaching staff a lot," Payne said, who said new Kentucky defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbragh has made a big impact on him so far.

When his coaches heard what he said, their jaws dropped. Then they beamed a bit with pride. Its a nice reflection on the young man's character.

Payne wants to delay his recruiting decision for as long as possible. It will at least be after his senior season. It could come after the postseason All-Star games, too.

"I just want to get my boys some good exposure," he said.

He figures it this way: The more coaches that keep coming around to kick the tires on his recruitment can only increase the odds they notice the other quality players on his team like Mixon and rising senior quarterback RaShad Louie.

Payne even put Kentucky among his top schools with Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Texas. The recruiting lasso from the Longhorns is best defined by his existing relationship with former Alabama defensive line coach Chris Rumph.

Rumph now holds that same position at Texas.

That altruistic goal to stretch out his recruiting to bring more exposure to his teammates was noble, but he also said he doesn't really know where he's heading yet so that extra time can only help him.

He's taken the most trips to Tuscaloosa during his recruitment. Assistant coach Bo Davis and Kirby Smart were on hand on Thursday to watch the spring game against McAdory.

That extra weight limited his ability to make a big impact on the game. All those schools that recruit him can say he'd play any position on the defensive line, but he has a preference.

"I really like to play the '3' technique," Payne said, describing how he likes to line up on the outside shoulder of a guard. "I'm starting to like the nose a little bit."

He said it was good to be back playing the game he loves despite the constant double teams. McAdory had three returning starters on its offensive line and those boys were able to get under his pads a lot.